Press release from NC Department of Commerce:
Four western North Carolina organizations will be recognized for receiving new grants totaling $2,389,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) during a ceremony in Asheville on Oct. 29.
The grants being presented are part of the ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) initiative. The four POWER grants in North Carolina – the first-ever awarded in the state – are:
- $1,250,000 to the Southwestern North Carolina Planning and Economic Development Commission, which is based in Sylva, for physical improvements to the Western North Carolina Farmers Market (WNCFM).
- $940,000 to Mountain BizWorks in Asheville for a collaborative regional approach to expanding western North Carolina’s promising outdoor gear manufacturing industry.
- $100,000 to Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine on behalf of the Community Colleges of Appalachia (CCA) to develop two strategic plans that address both opioid issues and entrepreneurial training in the coal-impacted communities served by the community colleges.
- $99,000 to the Piedmont Triad Regional Council in Kernersville for a strategic plan to address the current and future workforce needs of Forsyth and Surry counties. This plan will include a state-of-the-art workforce development and education center called the “Dream. Career. Academy.”
Tim Thomas, federal co-chair of the ARC, will be on hand to honor these grantees and to discuss the POWER program. Jim McCleskey, Governor Roy Cooper’s alternate (representative) on the ARC, and N. David Smith, chief deputy commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, will also make remarks.
The ARC is a unique federal-state partnership providing social and economic support for a 13-state region stretching along the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. In North Carolina, ARC supports economic development activities in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey counties. The North Carolina Department of Commerce acts as the state liaison to the ARC.
Each year, ARC provides funding for projects throughout the Appalachian region of North Carolina. Projects approved for ARC assistance must support one of the five general goals: Economic Opportunities; Ready Workforce; Critical Infrastructure; Natural and Cultural Assets; and Leadership and Community Capacity. Eligible applicants include public entities (cities, towns, counties, regions or public service districts) and nonprofit organizations.
WHO: Federal and state officials, representatives of organizations receiving grants
WHAT: Ceremony to recognize POWER Grant recipients in North Carolina
WHEN: Monday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m.
WHERE: Western North Carolina Farmers Market Retail Buildings (570 Brevard Road, Asheville, NC)
WHY: This month, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced $26.5 million in investments to expand and diversify the economy in communities through the POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. These 35 awards, including four in North Carolina, are projected to create or retain over 5,400 jobs and leverage more than $193 million in private investment into 59 of the region’s coal-impacted counties by supporting workforce training and education in manufacturing, technology, healthcare and other industry sectors. They also invest in infrastructure enhancements to continue developing the region’s tourism, entrepreneurial and agriculture sectors, as well as increase access to community-based capital, including impact-investing funds, venture capital and angel investment streams. POWER is a congressionally funded initiative that targets federal resources to help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production.
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